1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to ignition systems for internal combustion engines and more specifically relates to plasma ignition systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, internal combustion engines, typically diesel or gas, utilize either a spark assisted ignition system, compression method or glow plug to ignite their specific fuel. In the case of diesel engines, the movement of the piston within the cylinder creates an extremely high pressure and temperature that in turn ignites the fuel, which is injected into the cylinder. To generate such a pressure, a significant compression ratio is needed.
It has been studied that once the piston moves roughly one third of its length of travel within the cylinder, after firing just past TDC (top dead center), the combustion process ends due to a flame out of the ignited fuel. As a result, the partially combusted remaining fuel and byproducts present within the cylinder are pushed out through the exhaust of the engine, contributing to poor fuel economy and environmental pollution. This problem is further enhanced by changing engine speeds, especially during gear shifts.
In gasoline engines, a spark generated by a conventional spark plug 1, as shown in FIG. 1, within a cylinder ignites the fuel air mixture therein. As in diesel engines, the adiabatic compression and shock wave created in the cylinder seldom ignites the entire fuel air mixture present in the cylinder and results in the expulsion of partially combusted fuel and byproducts.
The underlying problem in both diesel and gasoline internal combustion engines is that the conventional methods of igniting the fuel air mixture in the cylinder does not generate enough energy or propagate fast enough to ignite the entire contents of the cylinder. If the entire cylinder contents were ignited, just after TDC, engine performance would increase significantly and decrease the pollutants exhausted.
The present invention provides a plasma ignition system for internal combustion engines capable of generating enough energy to ignite the vast majority of the fuel air mixture within a cylinder, increasing engine performance and overcoming the inherent disadvantages found in the conventional combustion engines.